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Saturday, September 23, 2006

Airport Project For Sale

The Indianapolis Business Journal'sJennifer Whitson reports that "three developers are vying for the chance to build a four-story, 250-to 300-room hotel connected to the new $974 million midfield terminal and garage at the Indianapolis International Airport." And who are the bidders? Whitson reports:

Partial funding or low-cost financing from the Airport Authority may prove crucial to the deal's feasibility," said [hospitality consultant Rob] Hunden . ..

Airport Authority staff hope to make a recommendation to the board on a favorite design in the next 30 to 45 days, according to Jay McQueen, who is supervising the bidding for the authority.

Observant AI readers will recall that the Airport Authority's president is Lacy Johnson, an Ice Miller partner, lobbyist, and close political confidante of Rep. Julia Carson (D). While the Airport Authority contracts with BAA to operate the airport, Johnson is the guy really calling the shots. The winner of this latest deal will no doubt be decided by Johnson as the board's president.

A couple of years ago the Star reported about a lawsuit the former airport director for BAA, David Roberts, brought after he was forced out of his job because he allegedly didn't follow Johnson's orders. The Star wrote on June 4, 2004:

The former airport director at Indianapolis International Airport alleges he was fired last year for calling attention to "political opportunism" in airport hiring and contracts by an influential Democrat that Mayor Bart Peterson named as airport board president in 2000.

Indianapolis Airport Authority board President Lacy Johnson and board members attempted to influence airport staff to hire political favorites of Johnson, including an embalmer for whom there were no suitable job openings, according to a five-page notice of the former director's intention to file a lawsuit, which was recorded with the state and obtained by the Indianapolis Star.

"Johnson attempted to influence employment of minorities, unionization of employees, allocation of space to airlines and concessionaires . . . engagement of favored contractors and suggested removal of BAA employees who were considered politically too Republican.

The former airport director, David Roberts, claims that in 2001 Johnson asked him to employ a "female state representative who was unqualified as an embalmer and who was a protege of Mr. Johnson's godmother."

The godmother "is also a Congresswoman," the complaint states, in an apparent reference to Indiana's only congresswoman--Julia Carson, a Democrat who represents Indianapolis.

When Mr. Roberts told Mr. Johnson there were no suitable vacancies, Mr. Johnson said, "Other companies do this," according to the complaint.

Johnson, an attorney at prominent Indianapolis firm Ice Miller, was out of the office and could not be reached for comment Thursday . . .

AI is told that the lawsuit was quietly settled to avoid embarrassment to the Peterson administration. The Indianapolis FBI office apparently missed this one as well. A lot of federal dollars are pouring into the work out at the airport and somebody should be checking up on how the dollars are being doled out.

Johnson has long been rumored to have a financial interest in various minority firms which have participated in government contracting opportunities elsewhere. As the president of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, he should be required to fully disclose every single business in which he has any financial interest, and that disclosure should be made publicly available. Until that is done, we have every reason to be suspicious of what is transpiring out at the airport under his leadership based upon the assertions of Roberts and Johnson's penchant for getting rich off insider deals--his latest deal--300 East at the Julia Carson Government Center. Absolutely no business in which Johnson has an ownership interest, or which is represented by his law firm, should be allowed to do busines with the airport authority.

25 comments:

IANAL but the rule-of-thumb in Indiana law about government conflict of interest charges is based on the basic principle of filing with the relevant authority a "declaration of involvement" - that is disclosing your financial interest in which you as a govt official may have with the outside entity.

Before Carson took over the Trustee Office, a previous top dog set up with his sister a shoe vending operation which contracted with the office. He filed the correct declaration of interest and so he skated...

I will publish my information soon, but first, let's get something straight, Wilson Allen is a non issue, but he is an antagonist for me.

I remain focused on helping to elect a new representative in the 7th District which is my choice. Raising issues of concern, and demanding answers from the incumbent.

What is so sad about this is each member of the Ghetto Mafia thinks and honestly believes that they own these offices. I was always taught that we the people have the constitutional right to elect a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Supporters for Julia Carson have terrorized voters into thinking they do not have a choice accept to vote for her. When you speak out against her, her "dogs' start barking at you. One of the reasons so many black voters in this city do not participate in the process today. They do not want to be attacked by them.

In fact; she has taken her black people for granted. If the black church community was aware of the antics she uses, they would dump her in a moments’ notice, and she knows it.

Her position is, she does not need to hold public debates with her opponents. She and her supporters have labeled decent white opponents as” racist”. The “race card” has been very effective in past elections, but it has played out. They were labeled a racist before their campaigns could get off the ground. As you know, members of the white community have shunned being labeled “a racist”. The labeling keeps them at bay.

Her position is, Julia Carson is above the law and she does not have to account for her actions or decision-making while in office. We elect our congressional representatives every two years. The 8th and 9th Congressional Districts are holding debates for the voters to make their choice. Voters in the 7th District deserve the same right.

To be honest about the whole issue of elections, I will decide which candidate to support and to vote for. No pollster or "goon squad" will force me to sit quietly by and not speak out in support for a change.

I am not an issue in this campaign, just exercising my freedom of choice. Her supporters were attacking me on these blogs before I began logging in about 4 weeks ago. They do not have to agree with me, nor I with them.

Her worst threat in this election is her untold history. History is relevant about a candidate this is what elections are about. None of the candidates are perfect from the top of the ticket to the bottom, but the voters have a right to know the truth; and. THE TRUTH IS NOT MUDSLINGING!

Ironically, Julia Carson supporters have always accused the Republican Party of disenfranchising black voters, when in reality, it was the Democratic Party using goon squads" on election day in the black community.

State Senator Julia Carson can not deny that fact. She has even driven the van with her "goons" riding in the back on Election Day, going from precinct to precinct on Election Day harassing and intimidating precinct committeemen who were not supporting her or Andy Jacobs when he was in office.

30 years as a Democrat and while working as a precinct committeeperson, not one time did I have a problem with a member of the Republican Party on Election Day; it was always Julia Carson and her "thugs".

There is a long history of rivalry here because I do not believe as she does, and I fight back. This is not personal, it is business for me. She has been able to build her "thug machine” during her time in office, and frankly, I don’t' approve, and she knows it.

Wilson Allen is a prime example of the kind of people she has used supporting her, ("a thug mentality") If a majority of black voters were aware of people like Wilson Allen supporting her, they would question her judgment more seriously. In fact, when she uses her white supporters on Election Day in predominate black precincts, black voters think they are Republicans, another strategy to label Republicans as racist and anti-black.

Julia Carson uses anyone and everyone she can to further her own interests. When they are no longer useful to her, she turns on them and dumps them. Her supporters over the years have witnessed this but never questioned her actions. The reasons why attempts to discredit me has failed in the black community. THEY KNOW!

I have personally witnessed many of her clever strategies put in to practice, and I have been a victim of some of them. NO MORE! First hand knowledge with documented proof and JULIA CARSON KNOWS BETTER THAN ANYONE THAT I HAVE HER NUMBER. THE GAME IS OVER!

I, too, have worked the polls for a long time: 25 years plus. I have served as a commissioner, and driven all over the county solving Election Day problems. The only actual dispute that required intervention was an absentee ballot counting and initialing issue. And it was civil.

Never, ever have I heard of any voter fraud.

And for the sake of all of us, can you:1. Stick to the subject at hand; and2. Keep it at 100 words or less.The rants get a little old after awhile.

Honey if you've got the proof, release it now? What are you waiting for? Trying to hold your powder and keep it dry for that last week?

And trust me on this one: the shenanigans at the airport are likely very true.

And the employee Mr. Carson wanted the coroner to hire is Vanessa Summers Barnes. She took a thriving funeral home run by her father and ran it into the ground.But at least she'd understand more about corpses than a chiropractor.

Every time I see the words together in a sentence, chrio and coroner, I burst out laughing.

However, its pretty clear he had the balls to tell Ms. Carson to bug off.

Gotta admire that. Say....ya thnk his current troubles are in any way connected to his refusal to bow down to Queen Julia?

perhaps Attorney Welsh could comment on the appropriateness of a candidate for Judge in Indiana making anonymous and inflammatory comments in blogs during campaign season? Describing specific elected officials as "Mafia" might a tad over the top.

It doesn't sound like the sort of judicial behavior that Randall T. Shepard would encourage...

And how would that compare to a sitting judge who gave your Julia $1,000 in a recent election cycle--the same one who prosecuted Julia's ex-husband for income tax evasion and got lots of help and support from Julia in becoming a judge. Just exercising her first amendment rights. Right?

Ms. Carson has long supported affirmative action in promoting female and African-American judges and political candidates ... When more gay candidates come out of the closet and run openly, she'd tend to support that grouping too.

Virginia Dill McCarty, local feminist icon, was US District Attorney for that tax case. The first thing Ms. Carson did as Trustee was to hire Atty. McCarty.

McCarty didn't actually prosecute the case, but that bit of information about Julia giving her legal work after the fact is even more enlightening. Thanks for helping add that piece of the puzzle to my research file Wilson.

Wilson Allen 46201, you have no influence in the black community. You are meddling. You are not African American.Are you trying to tell black people what they can and can not do Wilson?

We call the members The Ghetto Mafia because they conduct themselves accordingly.

Do you remember Wilson46201 - Drinking in the Trustee's office?Liquor purchased at B & B's Liquor Store at 22nd and Central by Carson herself on the way to the office daily?

How often were cocktails served during the day in the Trustee's Office when you worked there? How many times was Carson intoxicated on the job? Do you remember? Channel 6 TV News showed her drunk in the office, slurring her words while her head was bobbing up and down during the interview.

Remember when Carson was nominated Woman of the Year in the Indianapolis Star? How many post cards did you address for her to win the nomination? She used certain staff members to flood the Star with her name so she could win. Do you remember?

Do you remember when she had certain staff members call in on radio talk shows from the office and attempt to harass and intimidate opponents on the air?Do you remember?

Do you remember when she had Prosecutor Modisett coming to her office regularly and Police Chief Toler for meetings and how their presence was intimidating to employees not to tell? She even had them listen in on telephone conversations while she was talking to other politicians."Do you remember?

The bar/restaurant in the 300 Building would make it very convenient for cocktails to flow throughout the day for the alcoholics on staff.

Security can monitor and control who has access to the building while they are partying on the clock.

No, this bar in the building is a bad idea and you know it. Carson has always taken privileges as a State Senator, Trustee and now Congresswoman. Carl Drummer does not make a decision without her input, nor does Tony Duncan (ex- live in boyfriend). Each of you has been used to perform services for her. That is why they call her the Queen Bee! Ha! Ha!

Remember when Carl Drummer was a deputy constable for Tony Duncan?they paid Carson kick-backs for getting them their jobs.

They smeared Taylor Seath, former Constable to get the job for Tony Duncan when they discovered the Constable earns over $100,000.00 per year from docket fees in the Small Claims Court. That was one sweet deal.

Now Carson earns $165,000.00 a year as a Congresswoman, Tony Duncan earns $100,000.00 plus a year as constable, and Carl Drummer earns $90,000.00 a year as Trustee and controls $11 million dollars of taxpayer money. They are living quite well off the taxpayers. Not bad incomes to have in your back pocket. The authority to grant lucrative contracts is given to their friends and associates who are loyal to them.

Do you remember when you and Tony Duncan switched the ballots and the ballot boxes at the special election for Trustee in 1996To insure Drummer's victory?

You guys really fooled everybody in that crowded room? Chairman Kip Tew couldn't have the election results certified because of the lawsuit filed by Ms. Tandy. I know what you did! You helped to steal the election for Trustee for Drummer, and what was your reward?Do you remember?

"Street tactics", arm-twisting, intimidation as well as dirty tricks are used to keep everyone in line and you know it.

Ironically, none are college educated, and yet they are making decisions which affect the lives of every citizen in Center Township.

These people will do whatever it takes to protect their jobs. What else could they do to earn this kind of salary?

How much did they pay you Wilson46201 Allen for your services as the Clerk for Center Township? Are you a consultant for this group now?

What goes around comes around!

Kip Tew was the Democratic Party's Chairman when they illegally elected Carl Drummer to office in a special election.

It was the same election where Wilson Allen and Tony Duncan switched the ballot boxes to insure Drummer's victory against Jocelyn-Tandy Adande.

She sued the Democratic Party in Circuit Court January 2, 1996 over the election.

Atty. Kip Tew did not have the election results certified by Marion County Clerk Sarah Taylor until the morning of the appearance in Court to answer questions regarding the conduct of this election on January 7, 1997, 1:00 p.m.

This was the same day that Carson was to be sworn in as Congresswomen in Washington, D.C. at 12:00 p.m. Ms. Carson had a timely visit to Methodist Hospital; the day after the lawsuit was filed.

This whole Center Township connection was rigged from the beginning, and it continues to be covered up.

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